Managing It All: How to Be A Mom and A Go Getter

Being a mom is exhausting. Being a go getter is exhausting. Put these two together, and without proper management, you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

So, what are some ways to manage such an intense life, and avoid impending disaster, you ask?

You start by getting clear on what your priorities are.

I don’t know about you, but I love chasing my dreams and pursuing my purpose. It fuels me with passion, and fills me with excitement about my future.

But make no mistake, as much as I love what I get to do, it is not my top priority.

My top priority are my children. I imagine you feel the same way too.

Now that doesn’t mean there aren’t times when I choose to do some work, or anything else for myself, and say no to their requests and wants. But what it does mean, is in the grand scheme of things, I’m a mom first. And being clear on that, helps me to keep things in balance.

Be clear about the time and space you need, to do the work that you have to do.

If you have another adult living in the house with you, or children old enough to understand, communicate your needs to them. Let them know that you’ve set aside a block of time to do your work, and once you’ve finished, you’ll be more present.

It’ll be easier for them to give you your time and space, if they know how important your work is to you; and if they have a clear understanding that you will have plenty of time for them once you’ve finished.

Adjust your expectations.

No matter how hard you try or how much you plan, things come up, and life happens.

There are going to be days when things just aren’t going to go smoothly. Your kids may get sick and require a whole lot more of your time and attention.

Your baby might be teething, and therefore, a lot crankier than usual.

Whatever the case, be ready and willing to adjust your time. Maybe instead of having an hour to work, you may only have 15 minutes here and there.

Those are the days you have to remember that, little progress, is still so much better than no progress at all.

Make sure you’re getting plenty of rest.

I totally get being tempted to stay up late, after the kids have gone to bed, to get some work time in. In fact, I’m guilty of doing it right now.

But it’s a bad habit that I am genuinely trying to break.

As much as I’d like to believe I’m super woman, I’m not. I require a proper amount of sleep, just like everyone else.

We need our sleep and rest to stay healthy, vibrant, energized, and emotionally and mentally stable for the tasks we face each day. After all, we don’t have just one job; we have two. Yes, motherhood is a full-time job in itself!

I separate the two because I believe they both offer you something different, and meet two separate needs.

Me time, is the time to love on yourself.

This could mean going to hang out with friends; going to get your hair or nails done; or even going to the local coffee shop to drink your coffee in peace and read a really good book.

Whatever it is you choose to do, it is something that refreshes and rejuvenates you.

Solitude time on the other hand, lives up to its name. It is time alone, period.

There’s no one sitting next to you; no one speaking on television; there’s not even the distraction of an author or character’s voice out of a book.

There’s just you

It’s a time to gather your thoughts; to re-evaluate your life. To listen to your own voice, without input from anyone else’s.

Honestly, it’s the time when I get my most creative ideas.

You may have to lock yourself in a closet, hideout in the bathroom or go sit in the car in the garage just to have your solitude time. But whatever you have to do, do it! You’ll find it is so worth it, and so beneficial.

Last of all, be patient with yourself.

As they say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” And you know what, the fulfillment of your goals and purposes won’t be either.

Great things take time.

And add motherhood to it, means it’s going to take even more time.

Be patient with yourself, your children, and your progress.

When things are progressing quickly, enjoy the rush. Take full advantage of it. But when things are progressing slowly, find contentment in enjoying the journey.

Because one day you’ll have arrived, and you want to be able to look back, and know that you took time to enjoy this incredible experience, of being a mom, and a go getter.

You speak so much truth here! I am a stay at home mom but I am a work at home mom. Even when lists have been made and things start to get checked off each day, it’s so difficult to get every single item checked off. I work hard to complete as much as possible during nap times so I have uninterrupted “blocks.” The fact that you felt the need to include “get your rest” shows me that you have also been where I have been. Staying up far later than you should just to get those to-dos marked off. I don’t do that anymore and feel that I get just as much done as I did during those late nights. Thanks so much for this article! Great reminders to any mom working towards goals 🙂

Hi Monica. Thank you so much for sharing your post at B.O.S.S. I have been there, done that, Worked, then stay at home mom, then back to work, Now a Grandma of 4 and still working.

I totally relate to the “me time” and how you have to be in control of what you do, how you do it, and be available to your children, especially while they’re still young (but even when grown up) but we all have our limits and I always go for quality over quantity.

I am super patient with everyone BUT myself. I don’t have much down time and when I do I feel guilty if I don’t catch up on my blog. I need to work on these things even without kids in the house. We’ve been taking care of our parents for several years and their passing away. It’s stressful!

Great posts and points to remember for me. I am struggling right now, trying to take care of my toddler and preparing/giving interviews to get my dream job. There are days when I am not able to work a lot towards my preparation and could only squeeze in 15 minutes here and there. Its good to remember any progress is better than no progress, tend to forget that. Thanks for sharing these useful tips.

Awesome blog and great ideas for moms. We often times take life for granted. We’re always going and going without thinking about caring for ourselves. If we don’t change this, we will not be able to take care of our loved ones. Thanks for the reminder and for sharing. Happy Blogging!

I think this is so true! Having some down time especially to take care of yourself, and make sure you are alright, is underlooked, but so crucial. It is hard to justify why you need to take time for yourself it feels, but it shouldn’t be.

I have been guilty of taking some me time and taking care of myself. Most days, it’s like the 24hours is no longer enough for me and sometimes I hardly get enough sleep. Especially, now that I’ve decided to come back to my writing, it’s becoming harder to even get my hair done

This is a great article! I am sure it speaks to just about every mom. As exhausted as we are, we are able to keep on going because we know we have to! And I guess I figure eventually I will get the rest I need, lol.

This is brilliant. I definitely need some more solitude time. I don’t think I get it at all apart from when I go to sleep and even that doesn’t last long. But I agree that you need goals, my one is my blog. It’s my escape and I look forward to writing the next one and reading others. And then obviously work, I love what I do and I put so much effort into it, but being a mom is my top priority, although sometimes I think I’m not doing it right, my son knows I’m always there for him. Thanks for sharing 🙂

I used to have a 9-5 corporate job but it just got too toxic that my health was getting affected. So I quit. I became a stay-at-home and work-at-home mom. OMG. It is totally exhausting. I don’t have me times anymore, I don’t go out of the house anymore, I am buried up to my neck in “to-do” tasks. I just seems that my family expects me to always be present to attend to their needs “just because I am home.” Ugh.

A lovely post to encourage and motivate Mums that need to work. My daughter went back when George was four months, part time until he was six months. They have welcomed George into their lives. He goes with them except on the occasions that they get a sitter so they can be together alone. Money dictated the need to return as she is the main breadwinner. She also had a need to be the woman she is, and not drown and dissapear as Mummy. He is calm not clingy, happy and contented, he is almost one. Dad prepares his food baths and reads with him. They share his development and it works. A very different way to how I and people of my age did things but. They have managed to be parents but keep the couple they are by including him in the lives they had already built for themselves. Rather than baby arrives and everything else stops, until baby grows up, then try to get back what was before, they it seems have the balance right. I popped across from B.O.S.S. a great spot to share.